Teaghlaigh
by aqaws321
Summary: Prompt from Amy L. The Coltons must help Mac as he struggles to escape from his enemies in Louisiana, all while fighting off an infection from a life-threatening injury.
1. Chapter 1

**Prompt from Amy L. on FF. Set a few weeks after episode 17, "Flashlight." Contains, like, one sentence that gives very little spoilers for that episode. Warnings will be put up with the chapters.**

 **Hey, everyone! I've been pretty absent over the last week because I was on spring break and visiting family- without my computer. However, with lots of time in the car, I was able to write the rough draft of this- 6k words on my phone. Rip.**

 **Anyways, I hope y'all like it!**

 **The title of the story comes from the Irish word for family.**

 **This story is completely written and edited, will be updated on Saturdays and Wednesdays, and has five chapters.**

 **Warnings for this chapter: violence, gunshot wounds, but nothing worse than what's in the show.**

* * *

A strange, heavy knock came from the front door, causing the woman in the kitchen of the diner to frown. Hastily, she dried her hands on a towel, muttering to herself, "Now who could that be, at this time of day?"

She glanced at the clock as she left the kitchen to confirm that she hadn't lost track of time, but her instincts proved correct. It was only seven in the morning. Her instincts, cultivated through years of dangerous work in her profession, screamed at her to be cautious.

hadn't lived this long doing what she did by ignoring her instincts.

She grabbed a gun that was standing by the front door and readied it, clicking the safety off and double-checking that it was loaded. As she did so, she called out, "Just a moment."

Putting her eye to the peephole, she saw the top of a blond head. Readying herself, the woman swung the door open and pointed her gun at the stranger, who had moved- or perhaps dropped down- to sit on the doorstep.

He raised his head, blue eyes glazed over with exhaustion and pain, and said, "Mama?"

Then his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed.

* * *

 **12 hours earlier:**

Mac finished drinking his coffee as he pulled into the parking garage of the DXS. Matty had called him in, said she had a mission, but it was solo.

While it was uncommon for any agent to go into the field by themselves, situations did sometimes call for it. MacGyver himself had only gone on a few missions by himself, but he was confident that he would do well.

Mac walked into the War Room with with a curious expression plastered to his face. Matty was waiting for him there, looking over a folder of papers. As he walked through the doorway, she looked up and motioned for him to take a seat.

As he did so, Matty began to speak. "Like I said, this is going to be solo on the ground. However, Riley will be running surveillance, and I'm sure Bozer and Jack'll find some reason to be in here as well.

"You're going to Louisiana, around sixty miles north from where you met the Coltons." Matty stared straight at Mac as she mentioned the family's name. "I'd prefer not to get them involved in this."

Mac nodded, and Matty continued. "A warehouse that we've been watching is closing down- it's run by the company Hydrolectica, and they've been acting suspiciously for a few months now.

"Your job is to go in there, download the contents of the computer of the highest official they have there, and get out of there without getting caught. If you do get caught, we're going to have to disavow you."

Mac shifted a bit at that- he hadn't forgotten the entire ordeal a few weeks ago where they had been disavowed. It was an experience that he wasn't keen to repeat. Matty was silent for a moment to allow her words to sink in, then finished, "Your plane is waiting in the hangar. Gear up, then head out."

As Mac rose to obey her, the woman turned back to the screen on the wall, examine the map she had pulled up as she said, "And Mac? Good luck."

Mac smiled. This was going to be a simple mission, in and out, one that he had done a hundred times with Jack.

What could go wrong?

* * *

 **6 hours ago:**

Mac mentally cursed as he ran through the trees, clutching the flash drive in his hand. He had made it in without a hitch- it was the getting out that was the problem.

Mac had planned to go in while the guards were changing and to get out when they were changing at a different place. However, a guard had come on shift early- a random fluke that the young agent couldn't possibly have planned for.

It really sucked when he had to deal with it, though.

Mac ran through the forest, struggling to find a possible hiding place as he tried to avoid the bullets whistling around him.

His luck held out for a few moments more- and then there was a sharp, sudden, fiery pain in his side and he collapsed momentarily and there was something wet against him and agony and _painpainpain_ -

Single breath in. Single breath out. _The mission comes first_.

Mac pushed himself to his feet, one hand still holding the flash drive tightly, the other plastered against his side. The blond put one foot forward. Then the other. Then the first again.

Mac heard a voice in his head, one that sounded like Jack. It urged him to find a place to hide, to find safety.

It was probably good advice, Mac realized. He wondered if his team really was talking in his ear, and he reached a hand up to touch his radio, only to find it gone.

Distantly, in the part of his mind that wasn't a white-red-black-pained blur, he wondered if they had realized that his radio had fallen out.

So much for help from that quarter.

Mac realized that he had stopped walking and forced himself to look around. When he had fallen, the guards must've thought that he was dead. When he got back up, they had- judging from the noise that distantly reached his ears- realized he was alive.

However, with some modicum of luck carrying him, the blond had made his way into a small patch of heavy bushes that hid him almost entirely from sight before getting shot, but now provided him with an excellent view of the people that were currently trying to find him so that they could kill him.

Thinking fast, Mac brought the flash drive up to his mouth- and then he swallowed it. He would probably regret that decision later, the young man decided dryly, but right now, he needed two hands for what he had planned, and, if he was caught, he would prefer to not have the drive in a place where it could be found.

Carefully, attempting to make as little noise as possible, Mac traipsed through the forest, looking for a suitably tall tree. He found one quickly and began to climb, fighting past the pain in his side to do so.

Once he was high enough in the branches that he couldn't be seen from the ground, the blond rested in the fork of two large branches. He felt a pang of thankfulness that the leaves were thick in this tree, but he was distracted from his luck as his side gave a twinge of pain when the blond tried to move so that his bright hair would be less easily seen from the ground.

Five minutes later, as the guards passed underneath his tree, Mac held his breath and prayed that they wouldn't find him.

Something went right. They looked up, but didn't see him.

As the guards moved out of sight, the adrenaline that was coursing through the young man's body began to fade. Mac was tempted to just rest his eyes for a few moments, but knew that if he was to implement his plan, he needed to hurry and try and stop the bleeding from his side.

Working quickly, Mac tore a strip a cloth from his shirt, folded it into a pad, and tied it to his side with another strip of cloth. It held, just barely.

Then, with a fast peek through the branches to ensure the guards weren't close by, Mac dropped to the ground.

He stumbled, grunting at the sudden pain, but forced himself upright and began to jog back in the direction that the guards had come from.

After a few minutes, the jeep entered his line of sight. However, behind him, the man heard the sounds of people talking, loudly and angrily.

Mac went into a dead sprint, knowing that if he was caught, he wouldn't make it out alive.

The shouts became louder when the guards saw him, but it was too late. Mac vaulted into the jeep and found, to his relief, that the keys were still in the ignition.

Starting the car and moving as fast as he could, the blond shifted the jeep into drive and shoved his foot to the pedal.

He was safe, for now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warnings for this chapter: gsw, descriptions of the gsw (nothing too graphic, though), violence, but nothing worse than what's in the show.**

 **Slightly shorter chapter this time, but there wasn't really a good place to cut it off. This is the shortest chapter in the story.**

 **I'm _completely_ blown away by how much everyone liked the premise of this story. Hope it continues to satisfy. **

**Karana (guest reviewer): Thank you so much for the kind words; I'm very happy that you're liking the story :)**

* * *

 **2 hours ago:**

Mac jolted upright, his eyes widening as the previous events rushed through his mind.

He had pulled over into the woods when he realized that the jeep was almost out of gas, the young agent remembered, and then he had blinked- or so he had thought.

In reality, Mac decided, he must've passed out. For how long, he didn't know.

Mac glanced around himself. He had been heading to a safe house that was still thirty miles away, but there was no way he was going to make it there in this condition. Still, the terrain seemed familiar, and the agent struggled to remember where he had seen it before.

Then it hit him. The blond was currently only about seven miles away from the Colton's house.

Would they help him? Mac didn't know, but at this point, they were his only chance.

Mac got out of the jeep, his hand pressed tight against his side, and started walking, each step an agony of pain.

As he walked, a mantra- sounded by his footsteps- circled through his head, a constant, pounding, _just one more. Just one more. Just one more. Almost there._

At one point, Mac tripped over a root, ending up on his side as he curled into himself in agony as pain lanced through his body. Eventually, the pain released its grip on the young man, and he lied there, panting, for a few minutes.

Then Jack's voice seemed to come back, again urging him to find safety and shelter.

Mac gritted his teeth, pushed himself to his feet, and began again.

 _Just one more. Just one more. Just one more. Almost there._

* * *

 **Now:**

Mama Colton stared at the man that had collapsed on her doorstep for a moment without moving, understandably surprised. However, she had trained herself to think quickly over the years, and a second after the initial shock, she was shouting over her shoulder for her children, putting her gun down, and flipping the young man over onto his back.

There was a slight bruise growing on his forehead from his impromptu trip to the ground, but more worrying was the fact that the spot on his side that his hand had fallen away from was bleeding sluggishly.

As she examined the wound, her children arrived. Mama let them take in the situation for a second, then ordered, "Frank, you take Mr. MacGyver here to the guest room. Jesse, you take my gun and put it up, and then get the first aid kit. Billy, get some hot water and washcloths."

Mama followed Frank and MacGyver into the guest room- the younger man was dwarfed in the older man's arms- and, by the time the kid was settled, blond hair stark against the navy blue pillow, Billy and Jesse had come into the room.

Mama grabbed a pair of rubber gloves from the first aid kit and bent to examine the wound, noting from the corner of her eyes that her children did the same.

The eldest Colton pursed her lips as she wiped the blood away from Mac's wound with a warm washcloth. The wound was obviously beginning to become infected, but the Coltons didn't have the right equipment to prevent the infection.

The obvious solution would be to take the young agent to a hospital, but the family had no idea who did this to him, or if they were still looking for him. If his enemies were watching for him, they would have an advantage over the Coltons, as the Coltons wouldn't know who they were looking for, while the others would.

Mama gritted her teeth and prepared to do what she had done a hundred times before- make the best of what she had in the situation and pray that it would be enough.

She reached out her hand to the side, saying tersely, "Tweezers."

Frank handed them to her. With a small jerk of her head, the woman beckoned her daughter over to take the washcloth and warm water. Billy watched on, ready to hand his mother whatever she needed.

Mama prepared to poke around in the wound, then remembered something and glanced up at Billy, saying, "Get me a bowl."

Billy dashed off to do just that. As soon as he was back, Mama began.

It took her a couple of minutes, but she was able to extract the bullet from the young man's side- those two minutes, though felt like two hours, what with the heart-wrenching cries of pain that her young patient gave- and dropped it and the tweezers into the bowl that Billy still held.

Jesse then wiped away the blood that had welled up, and Frank handed his mother some medical thread and an already-threaded needle. Expertly, Mama sewed up the wound, her lips tightening every time the young man on the bed gave a moan of pain.

Finally, after an excruciating ten minutes, the ordeal was finished. With a sigh of relief, Mama carefully removed her blood-covered gloves and threw them and the used needle into the trash bag that Frank held out.

As the four quietly cleaned up the mess and Billy gently held Mac while the others expertly removed and replaced the sheets, Frank ventured, "What're we going to do now, Mama?"

Mama let out another, louder sigh, then replied, "Well, we're going to have to figure out how to explain to his agency why he's like this. We'll go from there."

Jesse raised an eyebrow. "So are we gonna call them now, or..."

She let the sentence trail away, and her mother took a second before responding. "Let's get this all cleaned up and then we'll figure out what we're gonna say, and then we can call them."

Her children wordlessly nodded and moved about their tasks.

As they were finishing, a sharp knock came at the door. When Mama opened it, secure in the knowledge that her children would grab a gun the second the new visitor provided even a hint that he might be a threat, a tall, brown-haired, muscular man stood there, his eyes darting up to Mama's face the second the door creaked open.

Mama thought to herself, resignedly, _could today get any more complicated?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Warnings: violence, more graphic than what was in the other chapters, mild torture, implied torture. Basically just lots of whump.**

 **I hope y'all are still enjoying! Feedback is much appreciated and motivates me to write.**

* * *

The man had a look on his face that was a mixture of tired and apologetic. He said, his voice relieved, "Sorry, but have you seen a blond man, a bit shorter than me, pretty young? He was lost on a hunting trip, and got shot, and I was able to track him to here."

The woman looked the man over, noting his harried appearance and the way he carried himself, obviously ex-military.

After a moment, Mama stepped back from the doorway and motioned the man inside. "I'm Mrs. Colton."

The man's shoulders slumped in relief, and then he spoke again. "Mark Bendser. That means I can tell you the real story, then, since you've already met MacGyver and know what he does."

Mama raised her eyebrow. "You know our friend?"

The man nodded. "Yes, MacGyver and I worked together on this mission. We were shot at and had to split up, and he must've been hit. I've been looking for him for over five hours, and- I'm sorry, I'm rambling." The man offered a disarming smile as he continued. "I'm just worried for my partner. Please, may I take him so we can go to our exfil point and I can get him medical attention from doctors?"

Her suspicions somewhat appeased, Mama nodded. She motioned for Frank to get the young agent from their guest room and then smiled at Mark. "I have to admit, I was worried about him for a while. We took the bullet out and stitched the wound up, but it'll be good to get him to a doctor."

The man nodded understandingly. "I'll feel a lot better as well."

Just then, Mac came into the room, pale and shaky, with his arm slung over Frank's shoulder. The larger man was almost carrying the younger, and the sight would've been comical if it wasn't glaringly obvious how weak Mac was.

When the young man saw his partner, he suddenly planted his heels and stopped. His partner frowned, moving forward towards the younger man, and said, "You okay? Sorry, stupid question. Don't worry, we've got lots of people nearby to get you out of here and to a proper facility."

Mac nodded, then turned to Frank, who was still supporting him. He patted the older man's arm, slurring out, "Wanna write you a thank you note."

Mark shook his head. "Mac, we've got to get you home."

Mac shook his head stubbornly. "'S polite."

Mark rubbed the back of his head, then glanced at Mama. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but it'll probably be faster to just let him write the note."

Mama smiled, an expression that was brought by memories of her own children and their stubbornness while sick. The woman held out a pad of paper and a pen to the blond, who turned to the counter and scribbled down a few words, then turned to Mark, who had moved close enough to the blond to be able to read over his shoulder. "'M ready."

Mark nodded, satisfied, and slung the younger man's arm around his shoulders, and then helped him outside. Once he had the younger man seated in his car, he turned to Mama and the Coltons. "I can't thank you enough for helping Mac."

Mama waved his thanks aside, saying, "We always look out for our friends."

The looks on the other Coltons' faces made it clear that they agreed.

Mark rubbed his hand through his hair as he glanced at his car- at his partner. "Thank you again. I'll let you know when he recovers."

Mama nodded. "We'd appreciate that. Y'all best be off now, before he gets any worse."

The brunet nodded and got into his car, driving away quickly. Mama watched until they were a good ways down the road, then turned and went back inside. Jesse was standing in the kitchen, frowning at the note that Mac had left. "Mama," she said, "There's something strange about this note."

Mama reached for the scrap of paper. "Let me see."

Her daughter was right. The note was written neatly, but a few words were missing letters. It read:

 _T ank you for all your assistanc. I can't thank you enough for a l you've done. I a preciate it._

Mama frowned to herself, saying, "They're missing letters. Some of the words are missing letters."

Jesse nodded. "I don't think it was a mistake."

Billy came up behind them. "What's up with the note?"

Mama told him what she and Jesse had realized. Billy examined the paper closely, then exclaimed, "The missing letters say help."

Mama's hand tightened around the paper, the material crumpling easily in her grip. "We need to go after MacGyver. Jesse, you get your gun and Frank. Billy, you check the cameras and see where they are."

Her children nodded and moved off to their respective tasks. As they did so, Mama took a moment to breathe deeply, calming herself as her mind went to what could be happening to MacGyver at this very moment.

Coltons did not take lightly to members of their family being hurt.

* * *

It took them an hour to find MacGyver by following the tracks of the car.

When they saw that the tracks pulled over into the woods, the Coltons traded looks. They were getting close.

Carefully, drawing on their years of experience, the family quietly made their way through the woods, and, after about ten minutes of walking, they came in sight of a small clearing.

In the clearing were two figures, both of them familiar. Mark was talking on a cell phone, gesturing wildly with his hands at times, and Mac was- well.

Mama's gut clenched at the sight of the blond. His hands were held together in front of him by zip ties, which had obviously been tightened much too far, if the flecks of blood on his hands were any indication, and his face and what the Coltons could see of the rest of him- his shirt, an old one of Frank's, was torn a bit at the collar and had a few holes in- looked like he had been used as a makeshift punching bag.

The blond was sitting, cross-legged and hunched, by the wheel of the car. Mark was standing a few feet away from him, talking on the phone to someone.

As the Coltons watched, Mark hung up the phone and placed the cell back in his pocket, then stood for a moment before slamming his hands down on the trunk of the car.

MacGyver, who had been watching the older man with wary eyes, flinched away from the sudden noise and movement. Mark walked to his side, stepping quickly, and hauled the younger man to his feet.

The blond, not expecting the sudden movement, lurched forward in an attempt to keep his balance. In a flash, Mark was gripping Mac's throat and had slammed him against the side of the car.

The Coltons didn't move an inch as they watched the scene play out in front of them. Mark said something to Mac, too low for the Coltons to hear, then released him with a shove that sent the young agent to his knees, his head dipping low as his body was jarred.

Mama let out a breath in relief, and Billy muttered a curse beneath his breath. Frank shifted minutely, obviously ready to rush down into the clearing and fight Mark, but Jesse laid a hand on his arm, calling him.

Simultaneously, three pairs of eyes turned to Mama. Jesse voiced what they were all thinking. "What're we gonna do, Mama?"

It went unspoken that they were obviously going to do something. The Coltons didn't leave a friend in danger.

The eldest Colton rubbed her hands together as she thought. "This man's obviously working for someone, but the question is, is he some kind of bounty hunter or is he working for an agency?"

The woman continued to quietly think out loud, and her children, well used to their mother's way of operating, turned back to watch the clearing.

After about ten minutes- ten minutes in which the people in the clearing had barely moved, other than Mark pacing and MacGyver starting to lean more and more against the side of the car- Mama had come up with a plan.

She outlined it quickly to the rest of her family, and, as they went to take their positions, Mama pulled out her phone and dialed a number she had never called before.

After one ring, it was picked up. "Hello?"

"This Jack Dalton?"

"Who is this, and how did you get this number?"

"I thought you had better manners than that, young man."

"Mama! How're you doing?"

"I've been doing fine, but I didn't call just to chat with you. You missing an agent?"

A hopeful tone overtook the man's voice. "You've seen Mac?"

"I'm looking at him right now. He's in bad shape, but we're about to get him out of his situation. How fast can you be down here?"

"If you're still in Louisiana, two hours."

Mama quickly outlined the plan for him, leaving out the less important parts. She finished, "Meet us back at the diner."

After a quick goodbye, the woman hung up the phone and gave the signal- the sound of a mockingbird.

The plan began.


	4. Chapter 4

**Huge thanks to Deliwiel for talking me out of a funk and just all-around being a great friend. Go check out her stories, they're awesome.**

 _ **IMPORTANT:**_ **first, surprise update! Yay! Second, if y'all can get this story's reviews up to fifty before Saturday, I'll post the last chapter early as well. That might seem like a lot, but if everyone who's following this story reviews just once, it'll get up to seventy reviews.**

 **Warnings: Violence, mentions of a gsw, I think that's it.**

* * *

Mama, Billy, and Frank made their way around the clearing with their guns out and cocked, and positioned themselves with someone every third of the way around the clearing.

Jesse, once they were in position, put her gun- a nine-millimeter, Glock 26- in the waistband of the back of her pants, and began to make her way down into the clearing.

Mark saw her and whipped a gun out from a holster that had been previously hidden from sight. Jesse immediately raised her hands, keeping her eyes carefully away from the blond that was hunched on the ground.

Mark growled out, "What gave me away?"

Jesse shrugged. "Nothing. MacGyver was able to alert us."

Mark's face contorted with rage, and, as he took a few quick steps backwards, he ground out, "That little-"

The rest of his words were drowned out by the yelp that his prisoner gave as the older man dug his boot into the younger's side.

Jesse's hands fisted, and she fought to keep the outrage from her voice. "Hey, no need for that."

Mark smirked. "Why not? I'm holding all the cards. I could easily kill you and then him, after I find what he took from me."

As he finished his sentence, his eyes alight with triumph, a shot rang out in the clearing.

Mark let out a yell of pain and bent over, dropping his gun and clutching his thigh. In the blink of an eye, Jesse had her gun out and pointed at the man as he writhed on the ground in agony.

It became apparent after a few moments what had happened. One of the Coltons that was stationed out of sight along the top of clearing had shot the man in his thigh while he gloated. Mac watched the scene with fever-ridden eyes, but, as the four Coltons converged on the man in the middle of the clearing, the blond forced out a shockingly strong, given his condition, "Wait."

Surprised, his rescuers turned to the agent as he continued. "D'n kill him. Need him for inf'rmati'n."

The Coltons traded reluctant glances, but, after a moment, Mama nodded. "Don't kill him. Tie him up, make sure he isn't about to die, and toss him in the back."

As Frank and Jesse obeyed her, Billy walked with his mother as she approached the wounded young man that was still sitting by Mark's car. As she walked, she picked up something that had fallen from Mark's pocket when he was shot- and old Swiss Army Knife.

It had to be Mac's, the woman decided.

When she reached the young man, the woman used the knife to carefully cut away the too-tight zip ties around his wrists, wincing at the sight of his raw skin underneath them. Then she and Billy helped the kid stand, with Billy catching him as he stumbled and almost fell again.

Mama murmured, "Easy, there," as Billy helped Mac into the truck, then turned to supervise as Jesse and Frank loaded Mark into the back of the pickup.

The two had tied a rough tourniquet around the guy's leg, which would stop the bleeding enough that he wouldn't die, but did nothing to alleviate the pain.

 _Good_ , Mama thought. A cold smile graced her face as she leaned against the back of the truck, looking down at the secured man. "I hope you're not too comfortable back there."

Mark stared up at her viciously, his eyes slitted in pain. Mama smiled wider, her expression growing more dangerous, and Mark flinched back a bit. The woman's smile dropped then, and she leaned in close, whispering, "Good. You know what's coming for you."

Then she walked away.

* * *

It was a painful ride home. Mac flinched at sudden movements, his mind obviously caught up in unpleasant memories.

An hour had never seemed so long.

When they reached the diner once again, there was a familiar figure standing outside, his arms crossed and a worried expression on his face.

The man watched, his face twisted in worry, as Mac exited the vehicle and took in his surroundings, his gaze stuttering to a stop as he saw the brunet.

Mac looked up at Jack through fever-ridden eyes. "You're here."

Without warning, Mac pitched into Jack, burying his face in the older man's chest, his hands fisting in his shirt. Jack held the kid close, a wave of relief crashing down onto the older man.

After a moment, Jack pulled back a bit from the blond, bending down a bit to catch the younger man's eye. "Mac, I need you to listen to me, okay?"

The blond nodded, eyes still glassy with fever. The Coltons looked on as Jack continued to speak. "Did you get the information?"

Billy Colton opened his mouth, ready to lay into Jack for caring more about the information- whatever it was- than for the health of his partner. Mama hushed him, however, seeing the concern in the agent's eyes and knowing that he had a purpose for what he did.

Mac took a minute to answer, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Jack's face. "Yeah. Got it on a flash drive."

The blond's gaze began to drift; Jack placed a hand on the younger man's cheek, directing wandering blue eyes up to meet steady brown ones. "Hey, Mac, one more thing, and then we can get you to the doctors, okay, buddy? I just need you to tell me where the flash drive is."

Mac swallowed, then answered, "Swallowed it."

Jack let out a small puff of air. "Oh, Mac."

Jack's hand pressed on Mac's shoulder, large and warm and comforting, and the young man leaned into it. They stayed that way for a moment, and then Jack turned to the Coltons. "I need to take him back to our medical facilities. Is there somewhere he can rest until our people get here?"

Mama nodded. "He can stay inside."

Jack gently started half-guiding, half-supporting his friend inside. Once the kid was settled, Jack met the rest of the Coltons in the kitchen. Mama gave him a slice of pie, and, as he set about devouring it, the group conversed.

"How'd you guys find him?" Jack asked, swallowing his first few bites of food.

Mama let a small smile play over her lips as she replied. "He bout scared the life out of me. I was sitting here in the kitchen baking, and I hear a knock at the door around seven. I grab my gun, because I sure wasn't expecting anyone, and who do I see but MacGyver?

"He was standing there, looking pretty sickly, and clutching a wound in his side. He collapsed a second after I opened the door, so I bring him in the living room, get him settled on the couch, and call my kids into help.

"We looked at the wound in his side and found that it was caused by a gun, and there was no exit wound, so we get the bullet out and bandage it up as well as we could. We didn't know it was infected then, and before MacGyver was strong enough to tell us what was going on, that guy- Mark- showed up, claiming to be Mac's partner on his mission. He didn't give us any reason to be suspicious of him, and Mac seemed to recognize him, so we thought he was on the up-and-up.

"We didn't know any better, so we let Mark take him, but before he left, Mac wanted to write a thank you note for us. When we read the note, some words stood out to us as they were missing letters- letters that spelled the word 'help.'

"So we go after Mark and Mac, and when we catch up to them, they're in a clearing about an hour away from here, and Mark's talking to someone on the phone and Mac's obviously been knocked around quite a bit.

"So we go in there, get Mac, and- well, we were going to tell Mark that if he came after us, we'd kill him as a message for his employers.

"He made the poor decision to threaten both my daughter and our friend." Mama hesitated for a moment, as if unsure to tell Jack the next part, but decided that she could trust Jack. "We were going to go ahead and kill him, but Mac convinced us not to. Said he could be used for information. So we tied him up- he's in the back of our truck- and here we are."

Jack nodded, sitting back in his chair, having finished his pie about halfway through Mama's story. He cleared his throat and began to fill the family in with what he could. "Mac was sent down here on a solo mission to get some information from an enemy compound that was closing down. He got in no problem, but we lost track of him while he was getting out.

"I'm guessing he was shot and somehow made it sixty miles to here."

Jesse was mouthing something to herself, and Billy nudged her, asking quietly what the matter was. Jesse looked up at him and whispered back, "He made it sixty miles in the state he was in?"

Jack overheard her question and smiled. "Mac can do quite a bit when he puts his mind to it. He's pretty stubborn too, so that helps him do what he wants."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't have guessed it from the way he insisted he could walk into the house under his own power."

Jack huffed out a laugh at that. "Sounds like him. What all y'all told me fills in quite a few of the gaps in my knowledge, and when I got here, I found he had the information, which means I can tell our boss that he has it and she'll know not to send another team in after it."

After that exchange, Jack went into the guest room to sit by Mac while the Coltons stayed in the main area.

A little over an hour later, a short, stern-looking woman knocked on the door, accompanied by another, younger woman that was looking at something on her phone and a young man that was tapping his fingers on his arm and had a worried prominent on his face.

Mama motioned for Billy to get Jack from the guest room and for Jesse to grab her gun and stand out of sight. Frank and the oldest Colton went to open the door.

The woman stared up at them, her eyebrow raised and a flat look on her face. "Where are my agents?"

A second later, Jack emerged and saw the trio. His face lit up with relief, as did the newcomers. "Matty!"

The obvious leader- Matty- let out a tiny sigh, then said, "Where's Mac?"

Jack jerked his thumb towards the guest room as he answered. "Lying down. The kid's got a bullet wound that got infected, and he swallowed the drive."

The young woman and Matty winced. The young man frowned, looking from Jack to Matty and back. "What's so bad about that?"

The young woman answered. "He's going to have to throw it up, Bozer."

Bozer winced. "Ouch."

Matty nodded. Then she turned to the young woman. "Riley, how far out is the car with the medical supplies?"

Riley looked down at her phone, then motioned out the window. "They just got here."

Matty nodded curtly. "Bozer, go out and tell them Mac's condition. Riley, go with him. Jack you get Mac and bring him outside."

Her agents moved to follow her orders, and Matty turned to talk to the Coltons, as Jesse had emerged from her hiding place and Billy had returned by this point. "Thank you," she said, nodding in respect and thanks, "For taking care of my agent. We have a dangerous line of work, and any allies are appreciated."

Mama shrugged. "The Coltons don't forget the debts they owe. Also, there's someone in the back of our truck that you might want to take with you."

Matty nodded again in thanks, then turned wordlessly to walk out the door. A moment later, Jack and Mac emerged from the bedroom, Jack carrying Mac bridal style.

The blond was unconscious, his face a worrying shade of pale and Jack was moving as quickly as he could. However, he still spared the Coltons a glance and a heartfelt "thank you," before he left the house.


	5. Chapter 5

**Warnings: brief description of a nightmare where someone dies.**

 **Well, this is the end of the story. Thanks to everyone who read, favorited, followed, and especially reviewed. Big thanks to Amy L, who sent the prompt, and who I hope enjoyed the story.**

* * *

Jack watched as his friend lay on the hospital bed, looking pale and strangely young- not that he ever looked especially old- as the heart monitor beeped steadily in the background.

The doctors were administering an antibiotic and some pain meds via IV drip at the moment, and once MacGyver woke up and was feeling up to it, he would switch to taking pills.

Jack frowned to himself as he looked at the faint purple bruises that stood out in a neat, sickening ring around the kid's throat, and the myriad of bruises that decorated his lean body.

Riley and Bozer were sitting on the couch towards the back of the hospital room, both dozing quietly with Riley leaning on Bozer, while Jack sat in a chair by Mac's bed.

There was a faint moan from the bed, loud enough to catch Jack's attention but soft enough that Bozer and Riley didn't move. Jack flicked his eyes up to Mac's face, grinning in relief as he saw that the younger man was awake. "Hey, Mac, how you doing?"

Mac groaned, then tried to talk. His voice came out a hoarse rasp, and Jack hurried to help Mac take a sip of water.

After the young man was able to talk, he whispered, "Think I got hit by a truck."

Jack laughed softly. "Well, you didn't quite get run over, but your bullet wound did get infected, and I'd imagine that your ribs feel pretty bad from throwing up that flash drive."

Mac was quiet for a moment, then made a face and said, "That sucks. And they kind of do."

Jack's grin broadened, then disappeared as he asked, "Seriously, though, how are you feeling?"

Mac thought for a moment, then carefully shrugged, obviously wary of aggravating his injuries. "Tired. Hurt. Cold."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Cold?"

Mac shrugged again, then side-eyed him. "You're not cold?"

Jack shook his head, a small grin playing over his lips as he realized what Mac most likely wanted, but was reluctant to ask for. "Budge over a hair."

Mac carefully moved over a bit in the hospital bed, and Jack watched him with a sharp eye to ensure the younger man didn't dislodge his IV. Then, once there was room, Jack eased himself down on the bed and placed an arm around Mac's shoulders, drawing him close.

Jack smiled as Mac leaned into him, blond hair burrowing into his side, seeking out the warmth of his surrogate brother.

It had been a harrowing couple of days, but everything would be alright now. A sense of peace filled the room, and Jack slipped into a restful doze with the feeling of Mac curled into his side giving him peace of mind.

* * *

A fitful cough shook him awake a half an hour later, and Jack looked down to find that Mac's face was twisted in pain and something that looked like fear. As the older man watched, the younger's eyes moved rapidly beneath his eyelids and his hands fisted, clenching so tightly that his knuckles went white.

A pained moan rose up, and Jack quickly sat up and shook the younger man awake. "Mac, come on, you're safe now."

The young man shot up, then crumpled up again just as quickly as the pain from his sudden movement registered. Finally, after a few seconds, he looked up at Jack, who was watching him with concern. "You wanna talk about it?"

Mac shrugged, one hand going up to run through blond hair that was slightly damp with sweat. Jack waited a moment, then prodded, "You'll feel better."

The blond let out a shaky sigh, then said, "I was back with Bendser, but the Coltons didn't come for me. It was you. He got the jump on you, and he-"

The young man broke off, but what he left unsaid was very clear. Jack laid a gentle hand on the kid's arm and said, "It's okay, though. I'm here."

Mac looked up at him, and Jack realized that the drugs the doctors had him on were hitting his friend harder than he had previously thought. There was no way the kid would be this honest about his pain if he wasn't drugged up to the gills. "I thought you were dead, Jack."

Jack drew him into a gentle hug. "But I'm not. It was just a nightmare."

Mac nodded slowly, keeping his still somewhat dazed eyes on the older man's face. "Yeah."

Aftera moment, the blond lay back down, and Jack let out a sigh. He was both relieved that his friend was safe, and furious at the circumstances that had placed him in this position.

Jack decided to focus on the relief. The anger could- and would- come when he helped interrogate Bendser.

* * *

The Coltons filed into the hospital room quietly, unsure if the occupant was asleep or awake. However, Mac sitting up and watching the doorway for them, his face lighting up with a smile when he saw the family. His blond hair was obviously mussed from sleep, and Jack was sitting by his bed.

Mama smiled, bustling forward. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Mac's grin grew wider in return as he replied, "Well, I can't say I disagree with that."

The blond waited until the rest of the family converged around the bed, then continued, "I can't thank you guys enough for helping me back there. Things could've gone a lot worse than they did if you hadn't been there."

The Coltons glanced at each other for a moment, and then Mama laid her hands on the young man's shoulders. "No need to thank us, Mac. The Coltons look out for family, and, after what you did for us a few weeks ago, you're part of that family." Then she transferred her gaze to the man by Mac's bedside. "That goes for you too, Jack."

The rest of the Coltons nodded, agreeing with their mother's words. Then Frank said, "This is going to give her an excuse to mother two more people, you know."

The room laughed, then dissolved into small talk. Everything was looking up.


End file.
